Bottle closure and method of applying same



March 9, 1937. G. WEISS BOTTLE CLOSURE AND METHOD OF APPLYING SAME FiledApril 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l lllllllllllllmifi;

5 mnun l INVEN TOR. GEORGE WEISS MM w ATTORNEYS.

March 9, 1937. G. WEISS BOTTLE CLOSURE AND METHOD OF APPLYING SAME 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1935 5 0 3 an 6 6 a r m I I I I I I a l :vNZ 4W|I-HNANW|IIII\ I xx 0 w a INVEN TOR. GEO/F66 I'VE/6';

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Patented Mar. 9, 1937 BOTTLE CLOSURE AND METHOD OF APPLY- ING SAMEGeorge Weiss, Des Plaines, 111., assignor to Standard Cap and SealCorporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Virginia Application April4, 1935, Serial No. 14,568

without the use of separate securing means. having a modified form ofmouth bead; 5

With many such closures it has been the gen- Figure IV is a transversesectional View taken eral practice to use two or more units, apresubstantially on line IVIV of Figure I; formed cap .and a separatebinding or sealing Figure V is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elementsuch as a band or a ring of fixed di- View taken substantially on lineV-V of Figure ameter, the latter being placed around the pre- II,illustrating the arrangement of the members 10 formed cap and thendistorted or contracted by when retained in looking position by kinking,suitable means to force portions of the ring pinching or indenting theoverlapping portions against the cap and the latter against the neck ofthe ring; of the bottle, thus leaving the cap with a num- Figure VI is avertical sectional View of the her of radial projecting portions orfolds along paper or flexible cap member forming a part of 15 thesealing surface. the closure;

An object of the invention is to provide a uni- Figure VII is afragmentary plan view of a tary closure formed of paper or othersuitable section of sheet material suitable for forming a flexiblematerial, that will completely cover the securing band or ring for useas shown in Figures 7 mouth of a bottle, the closure being provided I,II and III; 20 with a uniplanar top portion and a peripheral Figure VIIIis a vertical sectional view of the and cylindrical depending skirt orflange pornon-resilient band member shown in Figure VII, tion ofsuificient dimension to fit over the exafter partial formation for usein connection terior surface of the bottle beading and prefer- W d e dyto b ss m With the p ably extend below the point of maximum cirmembershown in Figure VI; 25 cumference of the bottle bead, the closure skirtI Figure IX is a vertical sectional view of the being provided with anon-resilient band secured p o e Cap a the Preformed non-resilient toand covering a portion thereof, the band beband member, Showing thePosition of Said ing of improved construction, previously formed rS foassemb ing to O k g en a m n and cut substantially to length withoverlapping with each other; 7 30 ends, one end capable of slidingtelescopically Figure X is a vertical sectional View of the Within theother end so that the band and part il u rat d'in Fi ures V an V II in speripheral skirt portion can be contracted by sembled relation; anysuitable means resulting in an arrangement igure X1 s an enlargedSectional d a View that will tightly seal abottle, the sealing portionof a portion of the parts shown in Figure X 5 or inner sealing surfaceof the closure encomillustrating t e assembled relation 0f the p passingand snugly fitting against the bottleibeand band; ing substantially freeof kinks, crimps or folds, Figure XIII is an enlarged Vertical Sectionaland making a smooth sealing contact therewith. View Of a portion of 'pillustrated in 40 Further objects and advantages are within me IIshowing the application of the closure to 40 the scope of this inventionsuch as relate to the a bottle; arrangement, operation and function ofthe re- Figure XIII is a fragmentary side view of anlated elements ofthe structure, to various deother form of bottle, a conventional sealingcap, tails of construction and to combination of and a closure of thepresent invention in posiparts, elements per se, and to economies oftion to be applied upon the bottle 45 manufacture and numerous otherfeatures as Figure XIV is a view similar to Figure XIII will be apparentfrom a consideration of the showing a sealing cap applied to the bottleand specification and drawings of a form of the inthe sealing closure ofmy invention in position vention, which may be preferred, in which: tobe applied over the cap;

Figure Iis a side elevation of the neck portion Figure XV is a viewsimilar to Figure XIII 50 of a form of bottle adapted to contain milk,showing the sealing closure of my invention apcream or other fluids andhaving a closure emplied to the bottle; bodying the invention appliedthereto; Figure XVI is an enlarged vertical sectional Figure II is aview similar to Figure I showdetail view of the arrangement shown inFigure ing a bottle and closure in partial section, the X 1 55 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hottle closures, and is moreparticularly directed to a sanitary closure and seal for bottles and thelike, which is applied and secured to the bottle closure being arrangedin sealing position on the bottle mouth;

Figure III is a view similar to Figure II showing the closure fullyapplied and secured to a bottle Figure XVII is a view similar to FigureXVI with a portion of the sealing closure broken away for clearness;

FigureXVIII is a View similar to Figure XVI 5 showing another form ofskirted closure of the invention as applied to the bottle;

Figure DEX is a view similar to Figure XVI showing another arrangementof sealing closure and non-resilient band as assembled on a bottle;

Figure XX is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of the band illustratedin Figure XIX;

Figure XIH is a perspective View of a bottle with which is incorporateda form of the invention and illustrating amethod of removing th sealingclosure and cap.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the sealing closure of my inventionmay be used with or without a disk cap such as is shown in Figure IIdesignated by numeral 5. In a preferred form of the invention, I employa bottle closure A composed of a cap portion B formed from paper orother flexible material and having its marginal edge portion embraced orsurrounded preferably by a non-resilient metal member C7!- The sealingclosure A of this invention consists in part of a preformed cap B havingan imperforate central portion In and depending side or skirt portion H,the marginal edge l2 of which carries a non-resilient ring or bandmember C. The portion I is preferably flat or uniplanar so as to extendover the top of a bottle D and on which suitable advertising matter maybe printed if desired. The member C is preferably formed of metal andsubstantially U-shaped in cross section with its longitudinal edgessecurely embedded into the material of skirt member ll of the closure,thus becoming a permanent part of the closure prior to the applicationof this unitary structure to a bottle. Such an arrangement provides asealing closure which can be contracted below the maximum diameter ofthe beading of bottle mouth I4 and remain as a seal thereon.

The member C is in the form of an annulus or band of metal l5, as shownin Figure VII, which will readily retain a shape into which it may be.formed, bent or pinched. The ring is produced by bending the sheetmetal band I5 lengthwise upon itself into a U-shaped open tube or troughformation and then reducing this trough-like member into substantiallytubular form with one end l6 telescoping into the opposite end IT. Theupwardly extending portions of the U-shape may be of the same height,however in the embodiment of my invention illustrated the inner portionI8 is shorter than the outer portion 19. In applying this U-shapedmember to the marginal edge I 2 or other portion of skirt H and exertingpressure upon the edges of the ring by any suitable means the member ispressed into or embedded in the paper closure. As shown in Figures X andXI, the outer Wall portion l9 being of greater height than the innerWall portion IS, the edge 2| of portion I9 is projected inwardly andhorizontally to overlap the edge 20 of portion l8 and cause the portion22 of closure skirt I l to assume a substantial horizontal or offsetposition. Thus a substantially tubular circular ring is formed withtelescoping ends which are frictionally interlocked, and the edges ofwhich are securely embedded into the paper skirt ll.

In Figures XIII to XXI the invention has been illustrated asincorporated for use on another type of bottle. The bottle D-l isadaptable for use in the packaging of beverages and is preferablyhermetically sealed by means such as a metal crown cap 59 fluted orcrimped as at 5|. The crimped portions 51 are pressed into close contactwith the bead 53 and the recess 55 adjacent thereto of the bottle, asuitable sealing gasket of cork 56 or other material being positionedbetween the interior of the cap and the lip of the bottle. In manyinstances, bottles sealed only in this manner present an unfinishedappearance and in addition such caps can be removed and replaced withoutdetection, permitting contamination or surreptitious refilling. However,by applying a'sealing closure of this invention over such crown caps, atamper proof seal is provided. Figures XIII to XV show a closure sealingarrangement wherein bottle Dl first receives the crown cap 50 and asealing closure 60. preformed with a fiat top surface BI and a dependingor skirt portion 63. The edge 64 of skirt 63 has applied thereto aformed band or ring preferably of tubular configuration, generally U-shaped in cross section. The extremities 66 and 6'! of the, ring 65 aretelescoped so that one end fits snugly within the other and the edges 68and 69 of the ring embedded within the closure material which may be ofpaper or other flexible material. In this instance the closure with thering previously formed therewith is applied over the crown cap 50 andthe skirt and ring contracted beneath the maximum diameter of the bottlemouth bead 53 and of the crown cap 50 as well. As shown in detail inFigures XVI and XVII the crimped portion 5| of crown cap 50 flaresoutwardly adjacent the recess 55 and the skirt portion of closure 60lies beneath the crimped portion, the ring 65 being contracted into therecess 55. Thus, it will be noted that in order to remove the crown cap50 the closure 60 be also removed at the same time which removaldistorts the ring or mutilates the closure. In either instance closure60 cannot be replaced without indicating that the closure has beenpreviously removed. When an opener such as is illustrated in Figure XXI-is used, both caps I will be removed together, and in so doing, the

I tends to a position below an annular projection or bead 12 formed onthe exterior surface of the bottle adjacent a recess 13. In thisinstance a ring 65' is contracted beneath the maximum diameter of thebead 12. Removal of the cap 50 or closure 60' necessitates thedestruction or mutilation of the closure 60' or the separation ordistortion-of the end portions of the ring 65, thus preventing itsreuse.

In some instances it may be desirable that the exterior sealing closurebe maintained intact upon removal and in order to do this, a form ofring 80 having an inner wall 8| higher than the forms hereinbeforedescribed may be used. As. shown in Figure XX, this form of ringprovides a wall or surface 8| which is engageable with the crimpedportion 85 on the cap 84 so that the irregular surface formed by thecrimping engages the ring 80, as illustrated in Figure XIX.

The closure 60 is preferably initially The closure 60' is provided til "The skirt portion 81 of the closure 86 is embraced by the ring in amanner similar to the other forms described and is in eifect integraltherewith. The ends of the ring 80 are telescoped and upon applicationto the bottle and cap 84 the ring is contracted in a manner to behereinafter explained. so that its diameter is less than that ofthemaximum diameter of the cap 84. Thus removal of the sealing closure 86from the cap 84 necessitates separation or distortion of the ring ends.By the use of paper or similar fibrous or flexible material for theclosure 86, it is to be noted that should an opener such as isillustrated in Figure XXI be used to remove the cap and closure, thelatter will be so disfigured or mutilated that its reuse withoutdetection is not likely. This is due to the fact that the prying actionof the opener will either separate the band ends or rupture the closuretop or skirt portion.

The application and sealing of the closure on the type of bottle shownin Figures I to III will now be described. In practice, in the packagingof milk, the bottles are fed by hand or by a traveling conveyor to aclosure applying station, closures are placed upon the bottles by handor by automatic closure applying means employing a feeding tube or chutecontaining closures in serial formation, the bottles with loose closuresapplied thereon are then fed by hand or .automatic means to a closuresecuring or sealing apparatus. Dies or jaws (not shown) subsequentlyoperate upon the positioned bottle and closure, pressing the closure B.and its ring C tightly over the mouth of the bottle and into contactwith the exterior surface of the bottle bead.

Such action contracts the ring member C by circumferentially shorteningthe same by forcing or wedging the one end I6 into the other end I! ofthe ring. The end l6 slides telescopically within the end I! forming atelescoping joint which causes only a slight fold, or overlap of thepaper skirt portion II. the closure becoming approximately the shapeillustrated in Figure I and in this manner seals the latter upon thebottle bead. The telescoping joint will be held secure by the wedging ofthe end portions telescopically and by the additional squeezing orflattening of the tubular ring. As a further means of insuring thetelescoping joint against reopening, the dies or other means of theclosure sealing means may be formed with projections causingindentations or depressions 23 in the telescoping portion of the jointor if desired, entirely throughout the circumference of the ring asshown by Figures III and V. In each instance, the non-resilient splitmetal band is tightened or contracted by telescoping the ends of theband. Thus, in use the unitary closure consisting of the skirted cap andsplit metallic ring united to the marginal edge is first applied to thebottle. Then by suitable apparatus as above described the skirt and bandare contract.- ed and secured upon the bottle in sealing engagement withthe bottle bead surface by interlocking the end portions of the ringtogether, the sealing portion or inner surface of the ring snuglyfitting the bottle bead, free of kinks or folds.

When packaging beverages or the like in bottles of the character shownin Figures XIII to XXI,

the bottles may be fed in the manner hereinbefore described to a capapplying station where the crown caps are applied. The capped bottle maythen receive the outer closure which is sealed thereon by suitablemechanism to telescope the ends of the ring so that the closure ismaintained in fixed position with respect to the crown cap and bottlemouth. In this instance the ring and the skirted portion of the closureare tightened or contracted to a lesser diameter about the bottle and inremoving the same from the bottle or the cap ordinarily the telescopingends of the band will be'retracted partially, or wholly separated.Should the band ends remain in their sealed position, the cap may beremoved by a destruction of the closure material or separation thereoffrom the band or ring. Thus a closure has been provided to effectivelycover the mouth of a bottle and prevent unauthorized tampering with thecontents thereof.

It is apparent that, within the scope of the invention, modificationsand different arrangements may be made other than is herein'disclosed,

and the present disclosure is illustrative merely,

What I claim is:

1. A unitary closure for containers including a cap formed with a skirtportion; a non-resilient locking ring frictionally clamped to the edgeporthe invention comprehending all variations therehaving interengagingends adapted to slide telescopically one within the other and beinterlocked by non-restorable deformation of said ring end portions.

3. A'unitary closure for bottles, including in combination a cap; alocking ring therefor; said cap composed of flexible material having auniplanar top portion and a peripheral skirt portion with a normalinside diameter equal to or greater than the maximum exterior diameterof, a bottle mouth beading; said skirt being of insufllcient length toextend below the bottle bead; said ring comprising a split metallicmember frictionally clamped to the peripheral edge .of said skirt, theends of said ring being engageable as the cap and ring are contractedinto engagement with and below the maximum diameter of the bottle bead,

GEORGE WEISS.

